Potential New Course in Eugene

November 13th, 2012, 02:08 PM

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is considering installing a disc golf course at their Stewart Pond property in west Eugene. Matt Benotsch and Jesse Everett have been working with the BLM to get the disc golf proposal included in the draft version of their new management plan. The proposal made it into the draft and the BLM is now accepting public comment on what they should include in their final version of the management plan. You can submit comments until January 19th. The decision won’t be made for at least nine months after that, and if accepted the course would probably not be installed until 2014 or later.

Do you have 15 minutes to write an e-mail or letter to the BLM and ask them to include disc golf in their plan? That’s all you need to do for now. Here’s what you need to know:

The BLM is considering disc golf at Stewart Pond as a way to increase recreation at the site, partly because there is so much inappropriate and illegal activity there. They do not have the staff resources to deal with illegal camping, trash dumping and other issues. By bringing more eyes to the site it will be less likely to be abused. The area for the disc golf proposal is not environmentally sensitive and is great for recreation like disc golf. It has elevation, big trees, open areas and moderate to heavily wooded areas. Disc golf would greatly increase public use of the area and would not cause environmental damage.

When you submit your comments you need to include four main things:

1. You are submitting comments on the West Eugene RMP and you want them to include Alternative 3c in the final plan.

2. The reasons WHY you want them to include disc golf at Stewart Pond (Alternative 3c). Use plain language and common sense and tell them all the reasons why it would be a good idea and why you personally want to see it happen.

3. How many times per year you’d play a great course in Eugene and how many hours per year you would volunteer to maintain the course by attending volunteer work parties, pulling weeds, picking up trash, etc. If its five hours, say five hours, and if it’s one hundred say that. If you are not local and wouldn't help that is ok, Be honest.

4. Your full name and address.

Comments from Eugene area people are probably most helpful but any comments are good. Please be honest and realistic in your comments. Do you know of or are you involved in a course where disc golf helped clean up a park - put it in your comments. Would you travel here to play casual or tournament rounds? How much would you spend in the local economy to do so?

We have a good chance of getting this course approved if we are willing to adopt the property and help the BLM maintain the course and protect Stewart Pond. Matt and Jesse will be submitting detailed comments which outline how the EDGC would do the volunteer work to keep a course at the site. For more details or questions please contact Matt B. via PM here or at mattbenotsch@comcast.net

Stewart Pond is located between Bailey Hill Rd. and Bertlesen Rd. just north of W. 11th Ave.

I urge the Bureau of Land Management to include Alternative 3c (disc golf course) in the final plan for West Eugene RMP at Stewart Pond.

Disc golf is a great affordable recreation that is accessible to of all walks of life. Disc golf is ecological, accessible, healthful, and fun!

Disc golf courses do not cost very much to install nor maintain. They increase the beneficial utilization of public areas. They reduce crime and vandalism in troubled locations. The benefits for the community of installing a disc golf course far outweigh any drawbacks.

Even though I live in Portland, I personally know of the dire lack of disc golf courses in the Eugene area. I can only think of one, Westmoreland, within Eugene proper, and it is only 9 holes, and located in a heavily shared use location. Eugene needs more courses to bring the wonderful sport of disc golf to its residents!

When I am in the Eugene area, I currently play at Dexter Reservoir or at The Grove in Cottage Grove. But if there were a course in Eugene, such as at Stewart Pond, I would play there instead, to save gas, among other reasons. While I couldn't attend many work parties, I would surely carry a trash bag and pick up litter, if I saw any, while playing at Stewart Pond! I could make it down there 3 or 4 days per year.

I know many reputable disc golfers in the Eugene area that would volunteer to help out with a disc golf course at Stewart Pond. Most are members of the Eugene Disc Golf Club. I know they would be ready, willing, able, and happy to help out with course design installation, maintenance, improvements, and more. I know that Matt Benotsch would effectively coordinate such efforts; I can personally vouch for his steadfast reliability.

Thank you for your time and attention. I urge the Bureau of Land Management to include Alternative 3c in the final plan for West Eugene RMP at Stewart Pond. Please feel free to reply with comments, questions, feedback. I look eagerly forward to the day my friends and family in the Eugene area can play disc golf at Stewart Pond, and I am ready to help make it happen in any way I can.

He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
- Anonymous

Comment

If you recognize that Eugene needs more courses and you'd like to play what could be a really great course, please see the first post and take five minutes to write an email.

I've sent out almost 100 emails to Eugene area disc golfers and gotten only a handul of responses. I don't know if it's something in the water or what but I'm beginning to understand why we haven't added a course here since 1988.

Comment

Just completely stumbled upon this thread...1st I've heard of this potential Stewart Pond course. I do check the forum and EDGC facebook from time to time so I'm a bit surprised I haven't seen this before.

email sent!

Is there any other way to get the word out about this? I don't think lack of response is due to "heads up asses" etc...

I greatly appreciate all efforts to progress disc golf in the Eugene area!

Comment

Just completely stumbled upon this thread...1st I've heard of this potential Stewart Pond course. I do check the forum and EDGC facebook from time to time so I'm a bit surprised I haven't seen this before.

email sent!

Is there any other way to get the word out about this? I don't think lack of response is due to "heads up asses" etc...

I greatly appreciate all efforts to progress disc golf in the Eugene area!

I've been working on a lot of different things for this proposal, and I'm getting some flyers ready for the kiosks at all three local courses. There will be another FB post soon.

Comment

If you need any help with proposal writing I can be of some help in that area... Also I have some resources that may be helpful

Jason

Thanks Jason -

The main thing right now is to submit comments, and then let me know that you did. January 14th deadline. If you can include context from your other projects, perspective from your professional opinion, etc that is great.

For everyone else - deadline is January 14th to submit a very brief email supporting this proposal. If you want to play a new course in Eugene, even just once a year, have a new venue to play tournaments, or just support the idea of disc golf development in general - then you should take five minutes and send an email!

Be honest - tell them how often you'd play there, and how much you typically spend in a community when you come to play disc golf; gas, food, beer, etc.

If it gets approved this is going to be a great course - elevation, big trees, beautiful setting, open, moderately wooded, and thickly wooded. And right in Eugene. Please support!

Comment

Im new to this site, and was wondering if there was any update on this potential course?

No official update recently. The course proposal was chosen as the "preffered alternative" in draft plan which was the first step and the purpose of the public comment campaign. There should be an official update in July when the new fiscal year starts. No official news but every unofficial thing I have heard from the folks making decisions has been positive. Hope to have some news soon. Anything to announce will be posted here and on the seven different Facebook groups most Eugene disc golfers prefer to use for info.